Chapter 155 A new life
Zhu Yuanzhang never expected that in this thousand-household residence, there would be the sound of people reading aloud.

He couldn't help but sigh: "Everyone says that Deng Qianqiu is a heretic, but in my opinion, no one values ​​culture and education more than him."

An eunuch wanted to help Empress Ma get off the car.

Queen Ma, however, seemed indifferent and waved her hand.

People in later generations called her Ma Big Foot. On the one hand, she was a healthy woman, and on the other hand, she did not bind her feet.

Empress Ma was not used to being taken care of by others. Even when she was pregnant, she did not like anyone to support her.

Empress Ma said, "Your Majesty is right. How can there be people studying in government offices?"

Not long after, Deng Qianqiu was seen running towards him, apparently having received the news. He was anxious and looked very embarrassed, and arrived in front of Zhu Yuanzhang panting.

"Greetings to His Majesty, and His Majesty... Why are His Majesty and His Majesty here? Your Majesty... You are still pregnant, why don't you stay in the palace and take good care of yourself? If anything happens to you, I will die. Besides, it's just a slight miscarriage, and I am very distressed."

Queen Ma smiled and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to walk around more often?"

Deng Qianqiu's face turned pale and blue, and he suddenly felt like he was being harassed. No way, when you were three or four months pregnant, I asked you to move around more, how could it be the same as when you are eight or nine months pregnant? It's like the Ming Dynasty was destroyed, and when the Qing Dynasty came, you still took out Zhu Yuanzhang's red book and iron certificate.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Mr. Deng, do you still remember the bet we made? I came here to fulfill the promise."

Deng Qianqiu said angrily: "I remember, I remember, your majesty has a very good memory."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Where did Tang'er and the others go?"

Deng Qianqiu said: "I'm busy."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You are free."

Deng Qianqiu had a bitter face: "I am even more miserable, every day I..."

But obviously he didn't have the chance to continue playing the victim.

Zhu Yuanzhang pressed his hands and said, "What about this kid Zhu Chong? What kind of unscrupulous thing has he done?"

Deng Qianqiu immediately shook his head: "King Qin is very down-to-earth. He has made great contributions to our Qianhu Division."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said nothing, his eyes full of disbelief.

Even Empress Ma, who was standing by, said, "You don't have to cover up for him. Even if he makes trouble, they won't blame you for not keeping a close eye on him. Don't we know our own son?"

Deng Qianqiu stammered, "Your Highness the Prince of Qin... is... is... reading now."

"Reading?" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, but the smile was a bit mocking.

"The sun is rising from the west. I would rather believe that Deng Qianqiu is so bold as to ambush assassins here."

Deng Qianqiu: “…”

How should he answer?

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't laugh. Look how scared Qianqiu is."

Deng Qianqiu couldn't help but say again: "Your Majesty, the King of Qin is indeed reading..."

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond. He just smiled and helped Empress Ma in.

Deng Qianqiu saw a woman behind him who seemed familiar. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was the eldest princess.

He immediately looked straight ahead, like an old monk.

Then he asked, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty, would you like to see the King of Qin?"

"Of course I have to see it." Zhu Yuanzhang said as a matter of course: "That's why I came here."

"Then I will lead the way."

Deng Qianqiu led the group all the way to the government office at the back, where there was a study. The sound of Lang Lang reading came from the study.

At this time, a familiar voice was heard inside: "Ai Gong asked: "Which of your disciples is the most studious?" Confucius replied: "There was Yan Hui who was studious, never vented his anger on others, and never made the same mistake twice. Unfortunately, he died young. Now he is gone, and I have never heard of another who is studious."

Then, a childish voice followed suit and recited.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the familiar voice, his brows twitched, his facial expression became strange, and then he showed curiosity. The next moment, he took a few quick steps and came to the window.

But I saw that King Qin Zhu Chong was holding a book, reciting the Analects with a stern look.

The three children followed along, babbling.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. This guy... not only reads books... but also teaches people to read?

The most important thing is that this didn’t happen in front of his father.

"Do you know what this means?"

At this time, Zhu Chong asked the three children.

The three children shook their heads.

Zhu Chong was obviously oblivious to what was happening outside. Seeing the three kids shaking their heads, he could not help but sigh and said, "What a sin! Didn't I tell you this already?" The big dog said, "Master, Master, I didn't tell you that. What you said yesterday was 'Yong Ye can also sit facing south'."

"Ah..." Zhu Chong asked in surprise: "Really? Did I remember it wrong?"

At that moment, he said, "Let me explain it to you, wait a moment..."

As he spoke, Zhu Chong began to take out cheat sheets from his sleeve. After much difficulty, he pulled out a densely written piece of paper and said aloud, "Duke Ai of Lu asked, 'Which of your disciples loves learning the most? ' Confucius replied, 'I have a student named Yan Hui who loves learning. He never transfers his anger to others and never makes the same mistake twice. But unfortunately, he died young. Since Yan Hui died, I have never heard of anyone who loves learning."

After a pause, Zhu Chong said, "Do you understand what I mean now?"

The three children looked at each other, and Ergou said, "Master, among the three of us, who is the most studious person?"

Zhu Chong glanced at him and said perfunctorily, "They are all difficult to learn."

The big dog said, "Among the three who are not good at learning, there is always one who is the best to learn."

Zhu Chong said, "You are not dead yet, and the dead are the greatest, so you say this. Yan Hui died, and Confucius praised him. Didn't you read the beginning of the Analects? Confucius criticized Yan Hui a lot."

"Oh."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was standing outside the window, was stunned. He looked inside in disbelief.

It was unknown when Empress Ma walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, and she was standing there with an incredible look on her face.

“Master…Master…” Ergou suddenly called out anxiously.

Zhu Chong looked at Er Gou impatiently: "What's the matter now?"

Er Gou said, "The big dog peed."

Zhu Chong immediately looked at the big dog and frowned deeply.

The big dog, who was originally kneeling, now sat on the ground with his legs apart. His robe was lifted up, and then, in broad daylight, in front of everyone, a silver line drew a perfect arc towards the sky.

Zhu Chong immediately started cursing angrily: "Fuck you, you peed in class again. I've warned you so many times, but when I was your age, I would never do such a thing."

The big dog had a comfortable expression on his face, still sitting on the ground with his legs apart.

Zhu Chong stepped forward and picked him up.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma thought that Zhu Chong was furious and was going to commit violence, and they both showed signs of nervousness unconsciously.

Zhu Chong pulled the big dog's skirt and tidied it up skillfully, then carried it to another empty seat, saying, "Do you still have any sense of shame? You have read the Analects for so many days in vain. What a sin I have committed."

Then, he patted the big dog's butt twice.

The big dog then surrendered and knelt down on the new empty seat.

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a darkness before his eyes. He could not believe that the person in front of him was his son Zhu Chong.

In his impression, Zhu Chong was a violent person by nature, and it was Zhu Chong who urinated and defecated everywhere in the classroom.

But who would have thought that Zhu Chong has now become the defender of "etiquette and law". Although he curses a lot, his actions are like a teacher who sets an example for others.

Zhu Yuanzhang was deep in thought when he noticed that his arm was a little painful.

It turned out that it was Empress Ma who was holding his hand. She looked shocked at this time, and seemed to be so emotional that she couldn't help but pinched Zhu Yuanzhang's arm, causing Zhu Yuanzhang pain.

There was such a terrifying look in Empress Ma's eyes that Zhu Yuanzhang became a little worried. He patted the back of her hand and taught her to calm down.

Zhu Chong said at this time: "Everyone, sit down and study hard..."

After that, he sat down and said, "Today I will answer the question raised by Big Dog yesterday. You know, the reason why I didn't give an impromptu answer is because I believe in thinking twice before acting. Now I have thought it over three times."

"Speaking of Kong, he wanted to restore the system of Duke Zhou. But why, after traveling around the countries and advocating it, it still hasn't been restored? The fundamental reason here is... human nature."

The three of them became interested, and they all held their chins and listened carefully. They even looked at Zhu Chong with admiration as if their eyes were sparkling with stars.

Zhu Chong said: "The reason why this ritual cannot be restored is that... the foundation of Zhou Gong's system has changed."

"Teacher, what is the foundation of the Zhougong period?"

Zhu Chong said: "The princes were divided into different places in the world. They fought their way through the lands of Dongyi, Xidi, Nanman and Beirong. For the princes, the only one who could support them in order to survive was the Zhou emperor. How could they get the support of the Zhou emperor? Naturally, they relied on Zhou Li. Zhou Li was a moral constraint that the princes could use when they asked the Zhou emperor for something. It was also a demand for order that the Zhou emperor constrained the princes. Therefore, both sides had expectations for Zhou Li, which made Zhou Li a contract that both sides hoped to abide by."

Zhu Chong paused, then continued: "From this, it can be seen that what have you concluded?"

The big dog thought for a moment, then said, "Master, please speak quickly."

Zhu Chong said proudly: "The essence of the so-called Zhou Li is not the constraints of morality and etiquette. Its real strength lies in that its emergence meets the needs of everyone. A moral etiquette that meets the needs of both parties can be maintained and make both parties willing to abide by and protect it. But Kong only saw the etiquette and morality side of the book and thought that these alone could convince the princes of the time and make people obediently protect the etiquette. Isn't this just a foolish dream?"

…………

I had a minor surgery and now I'm lying on my side typing this for you on my phone. I'll take a nap first and update my blog later.

(End of this chapter)